This day in history

Monday

Feb 24, 2014 at 6:00 AM

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Today is Monday, Feb. 24, the 55th day of 2014. There are 310 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Feb. 24, 1864, according to the National Park Service, the first Union prisoners arrived at the Confederates' Andersonville prison camp in Georgia. During its 14 months of existence, the overcrowded camp ended up holding some 45,000 men, more than four times its intended capacity; nearly 13,000 prisoners perished from disease, starvation or exposure.

On this date:

▪In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII issued an edict outlining his calendar reforms. (The Gregorian calendar is the calendar in general use today.)

▪In 1803, in its Marbury v. Madison decision, the Supreme Court established judicial review of the constitutionality of statutes.

▪In 1938, the first nylon bristle toothbrush, manufactured by DuPont under the name ''Dr. West's Miracle Toothbrush,'' went on sale. (Previously, toothbrush bristles were made from animal hair.)

▪In 1961, the Federal Communications Commission authorized the nation's first full-scale trial of pay television in Hartford, Conn.

▪In 1988, in a ruling that expanded legal protections for parody and satire, the Supreme Court unanimously overturned a $150,000 award that the Rev. Jerry Falwell had won against Hustler magazine and publisher Larry Flynt.

Ten years ago: Democrat John Kerry defeated John Edwards by large margins in Utah and Idaho, and also won in Hawaii, where Edwards ran third behind Dennis Kucinich.

Five years ago: In the first prime-time speech of his term, President Barack Obama appeared before Congress to sketch an agenda that began with jobs, then broadened quickly to include a stable credit system, better schools, health care reform, reliable domestic sources of energy and an end to the war in Iraq.

One year ago: Pope Benedict XVI bestowed his final Sunday blessing of his pontificate on a cheering crowd in St. Peter's Square.